Composing Together: The Development of Musical Ideas with Students and Teachers

Contemporary Canadian pieces are performed and studied infrequently in school music programs due to their complex nature. The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board and the Canadian Music Centre commissioned 18 composers to compose a piece of educational music during a multi-year, multi-site research project entitled Making Music: Composing with Young Musicians. The musical pieces were written in collaboration with teachers and students. The following research question was addressed: How can musical ideas be conceptualized and developed with students and teachers? In their composition reports, the composers emphasized the importance of listening to students. Listening helped the composers understand the types of music students were familiar with, and to discern students’ instrumental abilities. Musical ideas were developed when students worked individually and in groups. Furthermore, composerteacher feedback, as well as teacher facilitation, facilitated a healthy exchange of musical ideas. These findings may be of interest to music teachers, post-secondary music educators, composers, and Canadian music publishers